This invention is directed to the field of buoyant objects, more particularly to the combination of an eyeglass having a highly buoyant flexible tubing, more particularly a hollow tubing of highly elastic, 100% natural latex joined to the respective ends.
The present invention relates to a buoyant flexible tubing, such as formed of 100% natural latex, having an exterior brominated surface that is user friendly, that may be secured to light weight items to ensure against the loss of such items in a body of water, i.e. pool or off shore. It was discovered that a discrete length of said tubing, when intimately anchored at its respective ends to selected items, includes an airtight central chamber that aids in the ability of the tubing to provide buoyancy to the item. Such discovery gives the user thereof a convenient means to take such articles as sunglasses, hotel keys, etc. into a body of water without fear of losing same. Should the article fall off of one""s neck, for example, it will float to permit easy retrieval by the user.
The prior art, as reflected in the following three U.S. Patents, illustrate different applications for such flexible tubing, but none recognize the buoyancy nature of the tubing when securely fixed to selected articles:
a. U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,000, to the inventor hereof, teaches a watch band assembly that includes a pair of buckle devices and a strap assembly. The buckle devices are fabricated to be a one piece structure which are adapted to be removably secured to opposite ends of a conventional watch. Extending outwardly from the buckle devices are studs that are adapted to receive and maintain the strap assembly. The strap assembly is comprised of at least one elongated tubular member having opposite ends. These ends are adapted to be releasably secured to the buckle devices.
b. U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,560, to Daniel, relates to a personal eyeglass and head gear retainer system to protect the user thereof from the loss of such items. The system comprises, in combination, a conventional style head gear, preferably in the form of a baseball cap or a sun visor, where the head gear features a discontinuous peripheral rim, and conventional style eyeglasses, such as sunglasses. Included in the combination is a pair of flexible cords of a discrete length and joined together at an intermediate position along the lengths. A first end of each cord is secured to the peripheral rim of the head gear, and a second end is secured to a respective free end of the eyeglass ear supports.
c. U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,000, to Stephens, is directed to an eyeglass retainer for holding afloat said eyeglasses. The retainer is an elongated, water impervious, resilient hollow tube having open ends which grip the bows of an eyeglass frame and float in the form of an open celled plastic block having a pair of parallel through openings. The flexible tube is threaded through the openings prior to attachment of the ends of the tube to the eyeglass bows. The block has a buoyancy greater than the weight of the eyeglasses to thereby hold the eyeglasses close to the surface of a body of water.
While the prior art recognizes certain capabilities and uses for latex tubing members, none teach or suggest the unique capability of such tubing to provide a high degree of buoyancy to selected items when exposed to a body of water, namely pools and off shore at lakes and oceans. The manner by which selected items can take advantage of this unusual attribute will become more apparent in the further descriptions and drawings.
This invention teaches a highly buoyant tubing element that has particular utility in providing buoyancy to selected light weight items, such as eyeglasses, to prevent the loss of such items in a body of water, i.e. pool or off shore. The preferred tubing element comprises a continuous hot dip coated, 100% natural latex, where the tubing element is formed by plural hot dipping of a mandrel, where a preferred number of times is about ten to thirteen to build up a sufficient layer of latex on the mandrel. Thereafter, the multi-layered tubing is subjected to a bromine chemical treatment that yields a smooth, user friendly exterior surface, a surface that does not irritate the skin or become tangled in one""s hair. After removal of the mandrel, a flexible tubing element results. The resultant tubing exhibits a high degree of elasticity, about 800%, and an excellent memory, i.e. ability to return to its preflexed shape after flexing. A preferred tubing element is a discrete length of about seventeen inches, an O.D. of xc2xcxe2x80x3, an I.D. of {fraction (5/32)}xe2x80x3, with a wall thickness of {fraction (3/64)}xe2x80x3. The hollow nature of the tubing element traps air within the tubing, when the ends of the discrete length are secured to the eyeglasses, for example, in an air tight mode. The nature of this treated natural latex provides an excellent means of giving buoyancy to a light-weight item, up to about 2 ounces, that otherwise would not float in water.
Accordingly, a feature of this invention is the provision of a highly buoyant system, such as for light-weight eyeglasses, that features a flexible tubing of 100% natural latex, having a brominated treated exterior surface, and an elasticity of about 800%.
Another feature hereof lies in the use of a hot dip processed natural latex material, which after processing includes a chemical brominating treatment.
Still another feature of the invention includes a 100% natural latex tubing formed of multiple layers, where the outer layers are colored by the inclusion of a color dispersion in the hot dip coating bath.
These and other features of the invention will more become apparent from the following description, especially when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.